Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven analysts that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $40.45.

Several brokerages have recently commented on BAX. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Baxter International from $37.00 to $35.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, December 11th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Baxter International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, November 11th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Baxter International from $46.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 11th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Baxter International

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,156,660 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $460,022,000 after purchasing an additional 170,776 shares in the last quarter. Entropy Technologies LP raised its holdings in Baxter International by 213.5% during the 3rd quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 23,192 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock worth $881,000 after buying an additional 15,794 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank lifted its stake in Baxter International by 15.4% in the third quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 170,855 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $6,487,000 after buying an additional 22,787 shares in the last quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Baxter International by 50.0% in the third quarter. Sivik Global Healthcare LLC now owns 150,000 shares of the medical instruments supplier’s stock valued at $5,696,000 after buying an additional 50,000 shares during the period. Finally, Coho Partners Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Baxter International during the third quarter worth $57,229,000. 90.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Baxter International Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:BAX opened at $29.08 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $14.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 145.41, a P/E/G ratio of 12.74 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 1.09 and a current ratio of 1.43. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $33.24 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $35.16. Baxter International has a 52-week low of $28.62 and a 52-week high of $44.01.

Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 8th. The medical instruments supplier reported $0.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.78 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.85 billion. Baxter International had a return on equity of 18.30% and a net margin of 0.77%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.68 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Baxter International will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Baxter International Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 29th will be issued a dividend of $0.17 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 29th. This represents a $0.68 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.34%. Baxter International’s dividend payout ratio is presently 340.00%.

About Baxter International

Baxter International Inc, through its subsidiaries, develops and provides a portfolio of healthcare products worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Medical Products and Therapies, Healthcare Systems and Technologies, Pharmaceuticals, and Kidney Care. The company offers sterile intravenous (IV) solutions; infusion systems and devices; parenteral nutrition therapies; generic injectable pharmaceuticals; surgical hemostat and sealant products, advanced surgical equipment; smart bed systems; patient monitoring and diagnostic technologies; and respiratory health devices, as well as advanced equipment for the surgical space, including surgical video technologies, precision positioning devices, and other accessories.